A photo of Seth, believed to be a friend of Arun Jaitley, partying with a man who’s being wanted in cases of money laundering by the same finance minister’s agencies, is now being widely shared on social media.

While it’s not clear whether the photo is from the same night Seth was suspected to have visited Mallya at his countryside villa in London, it establishes the friendship of Jaitley’s friends with those being sought by Indian investigating agencies.

Seth had denied having invited Mallya adding that the event to launch his book was open to all. The MEA too maintained similar stance suggesting that the businessman was effectively a gate-crasher.

This latest confirmation will give credence to allegations that crony capitalism is truly flourishing under the Narendra Modi government.

The latest development will seriously dent the credibility of Modi government in dealing with those people accused of money laundering or dealing with black money.

The opposition has often accused Modi, who had made black money and corruption a huge election issue, of having reneged on his poll promises by being soft against alleged criminals.

Analysts believe that this latest revelation on Mallya’s proximity with friends of the finance minister will explain why Jaitley and the central government have been soft on two fugitives, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi,

It assumes significance in light of MEA Sushma Swaraj admitting that her ministry had not made any request to the British authorities for Mallya’s extradition.